1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement of a toner-supplementing device in an image-forming device such as a printer, copying machine and facsimile or the like having a toner-storing unit out of an image-forming range so as to transfer and supplement toner from the toner-storing unit to a toner-supplementing unit of a developer device, and an improvement of a toner-agitating member used in the toner-supplementing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art toner-supplementing unit in the image-forming device, it is generally applied to have a method for installing a toner cartridge, for example, as a toner-storing unit having substantially the same length in regard to an axial direction of the toner-supplementing roller and dropping toner directly from the toner cartridge to a predetermined width of the toner supplementing unit storing the toner-supplementing roller of the developer device because the toner must be uniformly dispersed and supplemented against the toner-supplementing roller for supplementing the toner to the upper part of the developer device over a width corresponding to an image-forming range, i.e. to a latent image carrier through the developer agent carrier.
However, it is required to extend a time in which the toner reaches a toner end as long as possible because a supplementing of toner when the toner in the aforesaid toner-supplementing unit is completely consumed or replacement of a toner cartridge and toner bottle or the like are a troublesome work. As a measure, attempts are made to increase a storing amount of toner.
In addition, although the devices disclosed in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 60-84556 and the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-199625, for example, have already been provided as the toner-supplementing device, these devices are a device for transferring toner in both directions to cause the toner to be circulated over a substantial same width as that of the toner-supplementing roller or a device for transferring the toner in a semi-forced manner.